Wrench



N0. 670,132. Patentsd Mar. I9, ISGL J. .W. FREEMML WRENCH.

{Application filed Jan. 5, 1901A (-Nu Mudel.) 2 Shee'ts$heet l.

wiigzssc 5 No. 670,!32. Patented Mar. I9, 1901..

J. W. FREEMAN.

WRENCH.

Application filed Jan. 5, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Uivirnn rates PATENT Orrrcn.

JOHN \VESLEY FREEMAN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,132, dated March19, 1901.

Application filed January 5, 1901. Serial No. 42,233. (No modeio To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN WESLEY FREE- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State ofColorado, have invented a new and useful Wrench, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches, and has for its object to providefor the quick and convenient release of the movable jaw of a wrench bythe hand which grasps the handle thereof and also to arrange for thelocking of the said movable jaw by the same hand without removing thelatter from the handle of the wrench, so that the movable jaw may beconveniently locked and released by one hand, while the jaw may beadjusted by the other hand.

With this and other objects in View the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a wrench embodying thepresent invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 ofFig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are similar to the preceding views andillustrate a slightly-modified assemblage of parts.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the shank of the wrench, whichis provided with the fixed jaw 2 at one end and the handle 3 at theopposite end thereof. The inner edge of the shank is provided with alongitudinal groove 4, which extends for the entire length of the shankand also extends throughout the inner side of the handle.

The slidable jaw5 embraces the shank and has a stem 6, which is slidablyreceived within the groove of the shank and is toothed upon its outerside, so as to provide a rack '7,

exposed through the open outer side of the groove.

At the inner end of the handle there is a fixed cuff 8, which embracesthe shank and is provided in its upper inner side with a slot or notch 9and the opposite perforate ears 10, projecting at opposite sides of thenotch.

The means for locking the slidable jaw at anyadjustment upon the shankof the wrench comprises a locking-cam 11, which is mounted between theperforate ears 10 by means of a suitable transverse pivot-pin 12. Theinner face of this cam is toothed to take into the rack 7 or toothedface of the stem of the adjustable jaw and is also provided with ahand-operated lever, 13, which closes flush into the groove in thehandle, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. When the lever is pressedinto the groove of the handle, the locking-cam is locked against thestem of the slidable jaw, and to release the jaw the lever is thrownslightly outward, so as to clear the toothed portion of the cam from thestem of the jaw, whereby the latter may be freely adjusted to anyposition upon the shank and then relocked bypressinginwardly upon thecam-lever.

To facilitate the opening or releasing of the cam-lever, a finger-piece14 is provided upon the inner end of the lever and arranged radiallywith respect to the pivotal support of the locking-cam, so that thethumb of the hand which grasps the handle may lie in convenient reach ofthe finger-piece, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of thedrawings, whereby a slight pressure or straightening of the thumb willthrow the free end of the lever outwardly to release the locking-cam. Itwill of course be understood that the pressure of the hand upon thelever is relieved sufficiently to permit of the slight movement requiredfor the release of the cam, and by again pressing upon the lever the jawmay be locked. Thus one hand is employed to lock and release theslidable jaw, while the other hand is free to adjust the jaw. By thisarrangement the locking and releasing of the jaw are greatly facilitatedand the constant pressure of the hand upon the locking-lever precludesthe possibility of the jaw becoming accidentally released.

In the form of the wrench shown in Figs.

4, 5, and 6 the shank of the Wrench is not grooved, and the stem 6merely slides against the adjacent face of the shank. Also the shank isprovided at its handle end with a screwthreaded spindle portion 15,which passes loosely through a corresponding bore in the handle 3 andprojects at the outer end thereof for the reception of a nut 16, so thatthe handle and the movable jaw may be conveniently removed. The handlealso has the groove for the reception of the lever, and a suitablefilling-strip 17 is interposed between the screw-threaded spindle andthe lever, so as to form the back of the groove. In all other respectsthe two forms of the wrench are the same.

What is claimed is- 1. A wrench, comprising a shank, a fixed jaw, ahandle, an adjustable jaw slidably mounted upon the shank, anoperating-lever fulcrumed upon the shank and having an interlockedengagement therewith, and also provided with a releasing thumb-piecearranged adjacent to the inner end of the lever and in position forengagement by the thumb of the hand which grasps the handle of thewrench.

2. A wrench, comprising a shank, a fixed jaw at one end thereof, ahandle at the opposite end, an adjustable jaw slidably mounted aest-0,132

upon the shank, a cam-lever fulcru med upon the shank and having aninterlocked engagement with the slidable jaw, and a releasingthumb-piece carried by the inner end of the lever and disposed radiallywith respect to the fulcrum of the lever.

3. A wrench, comprising a shank having a longitudinal groove in itsinner side, a fixed jaw at one end of the shank, a handle at theopposite end thereof, and provided with a groove forming an extension ofthe groove in the shank, an adjustable jaw slidably mounted upon theshank and having a toothed stein slidably received within the groovethereof, opposite bearing-ears projecting at opposite sides of thegroove, a toothed locking-cam pivoted between the ears and having alooking engagement with the toothed portion of the stem, a hand-operatedlever projecting from the cam and normally lying within the groovewithin the handle, and a releasing thumb-piece projecting radiallyfromthe cam.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WESLEY FREEMAN.

Witnesses:

J os. L. WILSON, B. O.H1LLIARD.

